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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. row — a line
  5. court — of a king
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pitch — completely
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. calf — of the leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com